Blackmail is where it gets interesting. Was Billings blackmailing Tice? I don't think so. Why go to the police if you are blackmailing? Who would be blackmailing who? Tice blackmailing Billings and Tice put a stop to it? Billings could have taken any hit to his reputation and it would be meaningless to wealth accumulation. He had legally retired and Ashley was well-groomed as a business owner and would be innocent of any "blackmail" allegations. No, the blackmail could only come from a third party and that requires multiple motives on the part of an individual, with animosity toward both Tice and Billings. UNLESS, of course, that third party was not an individual, but a group of people. It could be blackmail...or paying off a debt of $50K. Just saying.